Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma)
Mihika Kapoor is a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, where she was an early PM on FigJam and is now spearheading development on a new product at the company that’s coming out this June. She’s known as the go-to person at Figma for leading new 0-to-1 products, and, as you’ll hear in our conversation, beloved by everyone she works with. Her background includes founding Design Nation, a national nonprofit focused on democratizing design education for undergraduates; spearheading product launches at Meta; and community building within the NYC AI startup scene. In our conversation, we discuss:
- How to effectively take ideas from 0 to 1 at larger companies
- How to craft a compelling vision
- The importance of vulnerability and feedback
- The role of intuition and product sense in making decisions
- How to practically communicate your vision
- How to balance collaboration and strong opinions
- Advice for building a strong team culture
- Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
- The current AI revolution and its impact on PM
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor
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Where to find Mihika Kapoor:
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Where to find Lenny:
- Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Mihika’s background
(04:29) Core attributes of great product managers
(07:34) Crafting a compelling vision
(12:12) The vision behind FigJam
(18:25) Delivering a vision without design or engineering skills
(21:52) Creating momentum
(26:36) The importance of strong conviction
(27:45) Direct communication
(32:48) Building hype
(42:20) Immersing yourself in user insights
(47:16) Operationalizing user insights
(50:33) Caring deeply about what you build
(54:01) Finding passion in your work
(57:00) Building a strong culture
(01:07:07) Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
(01:11:48) Design Nation
(01:13:15) Mihika’s weaknesses
(01:16:07) Building new products at larger companies
(01:20:50) Coming up with a great idea
(01:22:49) The key to going from 0 to 1
(01:26:47) Spreading the idea across the company
(01:29:15) Closing thoughts
(01:32:11) Lightning round
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Referenced:
- Figma: https://www.figma.com/
- Sho Kuwamoto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shokuwamoto/
- The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation: https://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Preface-Discussion-Guide/dp/1633692949
- FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
- Cognition: https://www.cognition-labs.com/
- Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin
- David Hoang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhoang2/
- Replit: https://replit.com/
- The Making of Maker Week at Figma: https://www.figma.com/blog/the-making-of-maker-week/
- Yuhki Yamashita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
- Jeff Bezos’ Simple Decision-Making Framework Will Give You Clarity, Conviction, and Courage: https://medium.com/illumination/jeff-bezos-simple-decision-making-framework-will-give-you-clarity-conviction-and-courage-adf8d0183625
- Alice Ching on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceching/
- Karl Jiang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-jiang-4a07424/
- Kris Rasmussen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopherrasmussen/
- Config: https://config.figma.com/
- Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
- Asana: https://asana.com/
- Julie Zhuo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-zhuo/
- StrengthsFinder test: https://www.gyfted.me/personality-quiz/strengthsfinder-test-free
- Dylan Field on
